Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Wednesday allowed an amendment application of a man, who had earlier moved the HC praying for holding parliamentary and assembly elections across India on the basis of the 2011 census.A division bench comprising justices Atul Chandurkar and Abhay Mantri directed respondents, including Election Commission of India (ECI), to file a reply within two weeks. The Census of India in Delhi, State Election Commission (SEC) through chief electoral officer in Mumbai, and the Delimitation Commission of India in Delhi are the other respondents in the PIL.The respondents have roped in senior lawyer Anand Jaiswal to plead the case from next hearing.Social worker Pramod Tabhane through counsel Anand Parchure had prayed for compliance of mandatory provisions of Articles 330 and 332 of the Constitution of India for allocation of seats to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates in the Maharashtra legislative assembly.After the petitioner filed a petition, the government contended that the Delimitation Act was amended, and it was now only applicable for the state of Jammu and Kashmir.The petitioner contended that the special status granted to the troubled state was withdrawn on August 6, 2019, by withdrawing Article 35A and Article 370. He said such provision cannot be now made applicable only to Jammu and Kashmir, as it is clear that the legislation is conscious of the fact that the census figures for 2011 are available and can be used in the parliamentary and assembly election scheduled next year.The amendment application does not change the nature of controversy nor does it cause any prejudice to the respondents. The same is necessary and expedient in the facts and circumstances for arriving at a just and proper decision in the matter, the petitioner said.We also published the following articles recentlyAssembly elections: Rahul Gandhi vows to prioritize farm loan waiver, caste census in ChhattisgarhCongress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated his commitment to waiving off farm loans in Chhattisgarh and defended the partys stance on a caste census. He mentioned that Congress governments in Karnataka and Rajasthan have already initiated the process of a caste survey, and Chhattisgarh will do the same once the Congress regains power. Gandhi highlighted the underrepresentation of OBCs, Adivasis, and Dalits in decision-making positions and criticized the central government for not granting rights to these sections of society. He also mentioned the Congress governments policies for farmers and their desire to ensure their prosperity.Cannot regulate political blocs, says Election Commission on INDIAThe Election Commission (EC) has stated that it does not have the legal authority to regulate political alliances in response to a petition challenging the use of the acronym INDIA by a coalition of 26 opposition parties. The EC clarified that its reply is limited to its role and should not be seen as expressing its stance on the legality of the acronyms usage. The plea alleges that the parties are taking advantage of the countrys name and requests an interim order to prohibit their use of the acronym and the national flag.MP assembly polls: Congress complains to Election Commission against CM Chouhan, PM ModiA delegation from the Madhya Pradesh Congress has lodged a complaint with the state election commission against Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The complaint alleges that Chouhan delivered a political speech at a government program in violation of the model code of conduct. The Congress leader also raised concerns about staff officers not receiving ballot papers while on election duty. The state is set to hold elections on November 17, with the counting of votes on December 3.

Stay updated with all the Latest Nagpur headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.